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Aside from this glitch, the only way to obtain multiple Shield Materia is to master one. This requires 100000, a huge amount, meaning it is best to equip weapons and armor that provide Double or Triple AP to do so.

The Shield Materia only grants the spell Shield, and only after reaching level 2 upon receiving 10000 AP. The Materia only provides stat changes until then. The Shield spell grants the Shield status effect that voids all physical attacks and absorbs elemental damage, meaning characters under the status can only be damaged by items and non-elemental damage. Shield can only be removed by DeBarrier and DeSpell.

Though the Shield spell is not based on the caster's Magic stat, the Materia comes with significant stat changes. It provides +10% to max MP, +4 Magic, and +2 Magic def, but -10% HP, -4 Strength, and -2 Vitality. This means that it is best given to spellcaster characters who are more reliant on their Magic stat, including Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, and Vincent. Cloud can also be a good choice as he can be built towards either magical or physical damage.

Shield is an extremely powerful spell that avoids almost all damage from enemies. However, it has a high MP cost, meaning it should be used sparingly and in dire situations. Shield cannot be paired with All.